Georgia Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis Could Land with Ravens

Baltimore will add playmakers in draft.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have holes to fill on the defensive line, and they could have an opportunity to find the perfect fit for their team with the 14th overall pick.

Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis could be available and would make an immediate impact in Baltimore. 

"Jordan Davis, I just can't see them passing on him if he were to get there," said NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said. "They collect these guys. These big, physical line-of-scrimmage players on the offensive and defensive line, the rare ones especially, it's easy to sell SEC guys in that room. That would be one that would kind of make sense to me."

Davis is physically imposing at 6'6", 341 pounds. He is stout against the run, which is a key area for the Ravens. 

Davis is frequently double-teamed so he did not have gaudy stats, but this opened opportunities for teammates to make plays. He and Justin Madabuike would be a force for the Ravens.  

He ran a 4.78 in the 40-yard dash despite his size and will evolve into a three-down player for Baltimore. 

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Here's a complete breakdown of Davis courtesy of SI:

Measurables

  • Height: 6-foot-6
  • Weight: 341 pounds
  • Arms: 34 inches
  • Hands: 10-¾ inches

Combine Results

  • 40-Yard Dash: 4.78 seconds
  • Vertical Jump: 32 inches
  • Broad Jump: 123 inches

Pros

  • A massive human being that eats space like a black hole.
  • Superhuman strength at the point of attack in the running game.
  • Requisite athleticism to be a one-gap penetrator with enough strength to two-gap easily.
  • Length is a plus feature and he constantly extends his arms to help shed blockers quickly and efficiently.
  • Arrives with violent, accurate hands, creating space for counter moves with good technique.
  • Athleticism is off the charts. 
  • Incredibly explosive with his lower body power.

Cons

  • Stamina is a concern.
  • Likely limited to a two-down run defender due to a lack of natural pass-rush ability.
  • Limited to the nose tackle and can likely only work from the 0-, 1- or 2- technique.
  • Lateral change of direction is not great.
  • Can get out leveraged due to his height and pad level.

Overview

A mountain of a man playing the nose tackle for one of the most dominant defenses in college football history, Jordan Davis projects as a two-down run defender with limited upside as a pass rusher at the next level. If you're looking for a two-gap, assignment-oriented player that stuffs the run with ease, this is your guy.

An elite athlete for a player with his massive frame, Davis does well enough to penetrate by using his length and sheer power to toss blockers aside and close gaps quickly. There are issues with him overrunning a gap too quickly and getting pushed out of the play due to a lack of change-of-direction skills, but those are eased by the volume of plays he makes in the backfield and his ability to toss blockers aside.

As a pass rusher, Davis is limited due to lacking an elite first step and a pad level that gets too high at times, allowing blockers to get under his tall chest plate and neutralize the bull rush. He doesn't have many counter moves in his arsenal, so until he refines that ability there will be a need to pull him off of the field in obvious passing situations.


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Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University.